I had expected to learn about ethics and values in the clinical setting as well as in a research perspective in order to ensure that patients are receiving quality care. I learned that there are so many aspects to patient care. It is not just about dotting all the "i"s and crossing all the "t"s. I have worked with several different nurses. Some of them focus so much on all the 'house cleaning' efforts of nursing like making sure that the documentation meets the hospital requirements. I think that that is a wonderful perspective but it shouldn't be the only perspective. I have also worked with nurses who focus on patient care, which I love. That's where I learn the most. I can learn the checks and balances by making lists of the right items to document, but patient care has to be at the forefront of nursing.



I think that the assignments this week have just reinforced my desire to focus on the patient, their perspective, their concerns and worries, and their needs. I want to make sure that every thing I do is leading them to recovery, not to just get them discharged but to help them be able to function in the best possible way with the best outcome.

I will utilize the things I learned in this unit by apply them to daily care. Every day I work I make note of the things I think could have gone better. I remind myself that the next time I'm on the job, I will make sure to improve upon the last day worked. By doing this, I am focusing on quality care and the constant improvement of the quality of care I give to my patients.

I think that quality of care for patients is intertwined so neatly with ethical practice. If you are provide the best in care, you are taking into consideration any ethical concerns that may be associated with your patient and their care. I appreciate the material we covered this week. It helps me to prioritize my work and how I interact with those in my care. I love nursing and I love advocating and taking care of my patients. This week's material helped me to see that my focus is on continuing quality care safely and ethically.

I learned from this used the basic structure of the competencies of QSEN that are listed above. I learned how to continue to apply them in nursing practice. I also learned how practical they are in all business, especially a business as elaborate as the healthcare industry.

My feelings about this week are mixed. There were presentations to watch like common causes and burn toast along with the funnel experiment. Those same presenters were on several youtube presentations. I honestly find it difficult to watch those presentations but I do like the concepts they teach. I prefered the presentation with the artist rendering of the topic. I know these topics have valuable information for nursing and quality improvement. I think I miss the classroom discussions and lectures (which totally surprises me).

I will continually use the material we are working on. My number one objective in patient’s care is to make sure I am giving the best care possible. The only way to do that is to continue to learn from all sources available to me. Without the information presented, I would have less knowledge base to pull from and therefore, would not be as effective a nurse for my patients.

The material covered is valuable. I think that there is a lot of critical thinking involved in these topics. It is not as simple and basic as it might seem. That is why the presentations given in the video presentations is so applicable. Critical thinking is really the key to apply the material that we are covering here. It is taking our understanding and deepening/broadening our perspective.

Week 2 Continuous Quality

When I first started this section I felt I understood what quality was. I still feel that I understand quality but it is much more faceted than I had expected it to be. I expected to learn that quality means the standard or what is expected. I learned that it means much more. I like the concept of continuous quality improvement. It should be that way. Quality should be constantly evolving and keeping up the current standards and procedures. It evolves under the perspective of all who are involved with the resulting quality. In healthcare, this includes the facility, the healthcare staff, and most importantly, the patient.

I really like the m&m activity, who wouldn’t, right? Sometimes something as simple as reviewing the quality of m&m’s can put in perspective something as complex as quality healthcare. The activity broke down the process of reviewing quality with something as simple as candy, yet the company who makes it is huge and has quality control in effect. I noticed that one of the bags of candy I had was literally full of problems, yet another one was perfect. How did that one bag have not just one error but so many. It it like that one patient who has all the wrong things happen and makes their hospital stay miserable, or worse yet, ends in disaster. It is never just one thing that goes wrong but several aspects of care are usually mishandled.

My personal feelings about the material covered include how I will use this experience in my nursing career by taking the time to follow procedures and do the checks and balances that need to be done. I have seen the information on procedures that we learn in nursing school not congruent with the practices in the field. They may be small things like not cleaning the top of a vial off with alcohol for a full thirty seconds, yet the consequence can be huge. I really want to provide quality care. I didn’t go to nursing school to not take what I have learned and apply it. At the same time, I want to continually improve. I know that the facility I work at has constantly updating procedures based on evidenced based care and research. It is my job to make sure I take the time to continually learn, take effort to follow procedures and provide my patients with the individual care their need and deserve.

• What do you consider elements of quality care when receiving healthcare services?
• What do you consider elements of quality care as a professional nurse?
• Are the two similar or different?

I consider quality care to include competent care. I expect my healthcare providers to be updated on policies and procedures of their facility as well as having access and utilizing evidenced based research in their departments. I expect their quality care to include personalizing that care to my needs as a patient. I expect to be updated and informed of my condition and the appropriate interventions that are to be done. I also would want to know that my care and personal circumstances are respected and proper privacy measures are in place. 

Elements of quality care as a professional nurse include: compassion, trustworthiness, procedural knowledge, patient advocacy, safe practices, ethical decision making, competent care, respect toward others.

The two are very similar. They should be intertwined but it is possible to have quality care without the fullness of professionalism. It takes personal effort and dedication to ensure that professional quality care is given to patients. 

My name is Kim and I just graduated from Nursing School with my Associates in Science - Nursing. I am currently in the Bachelors program taking a class in Quality & Safety. This blog is being set up so I can reflect on all I am learning and how that information will help me further my abilities in caring for my patients.